This is my journey as an E-commerce Consultant
Archive for December, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
874 days
Well, next year involves quite a big change for me – real office space and a design partner so I hope 2010 is as eventful for everyone. I will pimp my case studies here as well as keeping it real with my musings on eBay, e-commerce and e-life in general.
In fact next year I will have more time to devote to my crafty projects and this blog so you will be hearing more from me next year than the one just past.
Hairfreax – new site and restricting handmade hairpiece catalogue. Adding handmade rockabilly Yukata and Kanzashi, as well as funky obi and Japanese/Anime inspired fashion.
Hairfreax eBay – just a few pre-made hairpeices
Keirotech will be partnering with Createyourtemplate and be absorbed into CYT UK – eBay Design, Web Design inc ASPDNSF design, Flash programming, brick to bytes – on-line business integration and business consultancy. New site/info to come.
See you in 2010!
Congrats UKSW for becoming a top rated seller!
882 days
Go buy stuff, the man at eBay towers says its OK:
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/U-K-Sports-Warehouse
Finally my client got to the top spot. Took time though 
It brought back the Wispa and now Rage Against the Machine for Xmas number 1
- is there anything a facebook group can’t do?
Seemingly not – which is why a well groomed business facebook page is where it is at!
The fan page for Blakelands Country House has been a great marketing success as well as a way to communicate updates and get those all important reviews.
Many customers have commented that they found Blakelands through friends on facebook, then came to dinner or enquired about a wedding. The new website will be live soon: http://www.blakelands.eu with a more updated design and simpler content.
I brought my rage track because facebook told me too, so use it as part of your marketing campaign. You see the power….
eBay ‘ending soonist’ back on the cards now we have TRS?
Well, after fiddling around with strategy to work with best match over the last….what 12 months? It seems that the lack of exposure that my clients get for not quite being Top Rated Sellers (although, one now will be at the next run – slack eBay account manager to blame) pushes the strategy back to ‘ending soonest’ simple, but sometimes not affordable….
For example, a client who had been surviving quite well on 30 day listings, saw his traffic/eBay sales plummet when TRS was introduced. For the first time his Amazon sales ‘out did’ his eBay sales.
So, what to do? Well we experimented with 5 day fixed price listings, and guess what – you give more money to eBay and you get more exposure.
Sales have increased by 400% and just in time for the Christmas rush really, so he is cashing in on eBay AND Amazon.
Amazon has been stonking this Christmas for all my clients, really come into this own this year. A lot of clients now match or exceed their eBay sales with Amazon and are investing more time on ‘off eBay’ channels.
So why do I think TRS is to blame?
Well one of my clients lists in two main categories. One with a few TRS sellers and one with none. His sales from one category have plummeted due to the presence of TRS, but the other excelled (possibly because his strategy is unaffected by any TRS dominance?)
Soon he will be a TRS and kill off everyone else in THAT category. All’s fair in love and retail but if shouldn’t really be this way. In effect, its not the eBay way.
So in short be a TRS soon or don’t bother with eBay as a business model for lower value items unless you are going to support the fees associated with shorter listings when your Powerseller discount reduces. Large ticket items that have a higher profit margin you can be more flexible with as always.
Use Amazon and your own retail site for the good stuff!
